


Vacation Time

by ButchHelenaHarper



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Resident Evil - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, F/F, chamberfield - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-08 18:12:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15935648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButchHelenaHarper/pseuds/ButchHelenaHarper
Summary: Rebecca didn’t want a crazy action-packed night, she had just wanted something a little more exciting to happen, is that so much to ask for?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [claire_redfield](https://archiveofourown.org/users/claire_redfield/gifts).



> This is a bit of a gift to claire_redfield, the biggest claire/rebecca stan out there! I hope you all enjoy it!

10:33 PM, Wednesday at Barry’s Stop-n-Go. The lights overhead buzzed softly and in tune with the running sink water.

**‘I could be out with friends right now…’**

Rebecca turned off the sink, hot soapy water sitting in a bright yellow mop bucket.

**‘Okay, actually I could be playing _Civilization_ but that still counts!’**

Rebecca hefted the bucket out of the sink and onto the floor, the hot water splashing onto her shoes, soaking her feet.

“Oh, nice. Cool.”

Grabbing the mop, she wheeled the bucket to the empty store floor and began mopping.

It wasn’t that Rebecca hated her job, her manager was sweet and the owner himself was fair and nice Her pay was nice, and the hours didn’t really bother her. She just didn’t like how dead it got this late at night. She took the later shift, so she could focus on classes, but she was starting to see it was cutting into her overall social time. Not that she did too much socializing to begin with but it’s nice to have time to yourself to just relax. Every evening she came in at 4, stocked, cleaned, cashed out customers, and then left at 1. She felt like a robot most nights and on others, a zombie. In the past 3 years she’s worked at this gas station, the only interesting things that had happened were altercations between customers, coworkers suddenly quitting, and a fender bender in the parking lot.

Rebecca didn’t want a crazy action-packed night, she had just wanted something a little more exciting to happen, is that so much to ask for?

While in her thoughts and focusing on cleaning the floor, Rebecca failed to hear the front door chime open.

The patron came up behind her and tapped Rebecca’s shoulder, causing the latter to yell and drop the mop on the floor with a loud clack.

Rebecca quickly turned around and saw it was a woman standing behind her with her hands held up.

The woman wore a red leather jacket that matched her long red hair. Her bright blue eyes were wide from surprise.

“I’m sorry about that, I didn’t mean to spook you!”

Before Rebecca or the new woman could react further, the door in the back flung open and a blonde woman came out holding a bat.

“I thought I told you to-” the woman cut herself off. “Oh, it’s you.”

“It’s me,” the redhead said, lowering her hands. “I come in peace.”

“Sorry about that. We had an unruly customer come in earlier. Some blond freak who wore sunglasses. Sunglasses, inside, who does that?”

“A freak.” The redhead replied.

The blonde woman pointed and nodded at the woman, letting everyone know she agreed with her.

“I assumed Chris came by?”

“Yeah. He should be back soon to check on us, you know how he is. Why don’t you stick around?”

“I would rather not, I don’t want him to get onto me about all the junk I’m about to buy.”

The two women shared a laugh.

Rebecca awkwardly picked up the mop. “Sorry about the commotion, Jill.”

“Oh, crap,” Jill said, putting the bat behind the counter. “You were so quiet I forgot you were there. Rebecca, this is Claire, Chris’s sister. Claire, this is Rebecca.”

Claire turned and smiled at Rebecca, her smile big, and stuck out her hand. “Pleased to meet you!”

Rebecca took Claire’s hand and shook it. Her arm felt limp and weak and she knew her hand was sweaty.

**‘Her hands are so soft…’**

After the hand shake, Claire started down the aisles, looking for snacks.

“How long will you be staying? Just for break?”

“Yeah, I’d like to stay longer but this is just for spring break. I’ll probably come back once summer hits though.” Claire looked up over at Jill over the aisle. “I was thinking I could stay with you, this week?”

“And why can’t you stay with Chris?”

Claire groaned. “He lives like a frat boy, and trust me, I know how they live. All he eats is meat and TV dinners. I don’t need someone who eats like _that_ to get onto me about what I eat. Oh, and if I stay with you, he’ll have an excuse to come by and see you!” Claire winked at Jill and dipped into the freezer for drinks.

Jill didn’t seem convinced. “You say this but I’m sensing an ulterior motive that you haven’t mentioned yet.”

“Okay, the real deal is,” Claire dropped her drinks and snacks on the register counter. “Chris hasn’t gotten with the times and still uses bunny ears.” Claire looked at Rebecca who was still standing next to her bucket of water. “Can you believe that? If I’m going to be here for a week, I need to be able to watch my shows!”

Rebecca was taken off guard by the sudden attention brought to her. “What do you uh watch?”

“I’ve missed like two weeks of episodes but I’m really into _The X-Files_. Chris makes fun of me for it because he says it’s all just wacked out conspiracy theories.”

“Don’t you like that show too, Rebecca?” Jill asked.

“Oh, yeah, I like it…I also tape the episodes, so I can watch them later with my friends, so if you wanted to borrow them or something like that, you can.”

Rebecca shifted nervously in her place. She actually really liked the show; loved it in fact but past experiences had told that she could be too overzealous about her interests.

“That’d be so cool! Maybe I could get Chris to actually sit down and watch it that way!”

“That’ll be the day. I’ll be right back. I’ll let you stay at my place for the week.” Jill said, stepping down from the counter. “Will you finish ringing her up, Rebecca?”

Rebecca nodded and made her way to the counter.

“So,” Claire started. “How long have you been working here? I don’t remember seeing you here when I visited for winter break.”

“I took time off during the break and visited my parents.”

“Oh, well that explains that. How come you’re not visiting them now?”

“It’s a little much visiting them, ha-ha. They always ask me if I have a boyfriend yet or when I’m getting married and I keep having to remind them that I’m focusing on school right now.”

“You’re in school? What do you study?”

“Medical botany. I’ve been interested in it since I was a kid.”

Rebecca could feel her face warm up.

**‘Why am I so talkative with her? I doubt she even really cares…’**

“Medical botany? Wooooow, that so cool! You must be like, super smart to do medical botany!”

That comment only made Rebecca’s face get warmer. “Oh, no, not really, I mean, I don’t think so…”

She heard that a lot, when people asked her hobbies or what she studied, so many times that after a point it no longer fazed her but for some reason, coming from Claire, it made her feel…good.

“W-What do you study?”

“Automotive, cars, and stuff.”

“You like cars?” Rebecca said, impressed.

“To be more exact, motorcycles. I’ve be learning about them since I was a kid, like you. That bike out there,” Claire said pointing to a red motorcycle next to a gas pump. “Before I left here, Chris found this old bike while on patrol and we fixed it up together. It took us 6 months I think but it was a lot of fun.”

Rebecca could tell that Claire was proud of the work she and Chris had done together.

“You guys did a really good job on it.”

Claire grinned. “We did, didn’t we.”

As Claire paid for her things, Jill came out the back room.

“Sorry that took so long, Chris called. He’s on his way now.”

“Guess that’s my que to go!” Claire took the keys from Jill and grabbed her bags. “Thanks so much, Jill.”

“Please remember to take your shoes off at the door.”

“Got it! Well ladies, I’m off. See you around!” Claire grabbed her bags and practically hopped out of the store.

“Wow…” Rebecca said, watching Claire finish at her bike and drive off.

Jill chucked. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

“I’m going to go sweep the lot!” Rebecca ran and grabbed the broom and dustpan and left the store.

Well, that wasn’t boring.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) There is mention of death, in regards to Chris and Claire's parents dying.  
> 2) I felt bad that I didn't update this past Sunday so I will be posting two chapters this week! The next one will be up shortly and I hope you all enjoy them!

Claire was in Jill’s bathroom, brushing her hair into a ponytail, a last-minute detail for the barbecue and Barry’s home.

Claire finished putting her hair into a ponytail and brushed out her bangs when Jill walked by. She looked Claire up and down before speaking.

“Why'd you wear jeans? You’re going to roast out there. It’s expected to be about 80 something this evening.”

“I’m too punk for the heat.” Claire struck a strong man pose.

Jill laughed. “Right. Almost forgot but Chris stopped by while you were asleep.”

“What did he want?”

“He asked me if I wanted him to drag you out, but I told him no. Then he said to tell me if there are any problems, but I think he’s just worried about you, cause of your last break up.”

Claire rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. Besides, that break up was like 2 months ago or something.”

“He just worries, he means well.”

“I knoooooow but I’m not a kid anymore, I can’t go through breakups on my own. And, if I **do** need to be comforted, I know just the person to do so.” Claire grinned at Jill. “Oh! Did to remember to tell Barry I want tofu burgers?”

“I did. He was shocked, really. He called it a crazy trend and thinks you and Rebecca aren’t living healthy lives with tofu.”

“Rebecca? She’s a vegetarian too?” Claire seemed surprised.

“Yep. She usually just has the potato salad or the vegetable kababs, so I think she’ll be happy that he’s making tofu this time.”

“So, she’ll be there?”

“She usually is."

Claire smiled. “We better get going then.”

* * *

 

“Higher Becca! Higher!” Polly shouted, jumping a little in her seat.

“Yeah, higher!” Moria chimed in.

“Okay, okay! Just no jumping, I don’t want you falling off.” Rebecca laughed, pushing the girls harder.

Rebecca usually stayed with the girls whenever there was a gathering at the Burtons. She did it to keep the busy but mostly because she felt a little out of place in these things. She mostly only knew how to talk about medicine and the video games she played. When the girls went to bed towards the end of the night, she would talk with the adults for a little bit but go home early. It wasn’t that she didn’t like these events, she had actually looked forward to them, she was just…awkward, is all.

The backyard gate opened and walked in Jill and Claire. As soon as the little girls saw the women, they hopped off the swings and ran to them, hugging each of their legs.

“Claire, Auntie Jill, you made it!” Moria shouted, swinging herself on Claire’s leg.

“Of course, I told you I would!” Claire laughed, picking up the little girl.

Polly hung from Jill’s arm, screaming as Jill rocked her back and forth.

“Did you bring it, Claire? Pleaaaaaase say you brought it!” Polly begged.

“Oh, you mean **this**?” Claire pulled out a Gameboy from behind her back and the little girls cheered in union. “Play nice and please don’t break it.”

Polly and Moria jumped from the two women and took the game and ran off to the chair swing.

Rebecca sat at a table, sipping on her juice, watching the interaction. She wanted to talk Claire so bad, but she wasn’t sure what to say. Obviously, saying hi would be a good start, but then what?

Jill took the seat next to her. “Are you going to talk to her or make goo-goo eyes at her the whole time?”

“Oh um, am I that obvious?”

“Just a little.” Jill rested her head on her palm. “Just talk to her.”

“Yeah but what about?”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

Jill looked up and notice Chris coming out of the house, holding a few trays of food. “Speaking of…” she stood up and smoothed out her hair. “Just say hi, it’ll be okay.” Jill smiled and walked over to help Chris.

“Just talk, easier said than done…” Rebecca looked over at Claire. She was now sitting in between the girls, playing on the Gameboy.

“Use the bike!” Polly said.

“I can’t use it in the building, silly!” Claire ruffled Polly’s head.

Rebecca took a deep breath and went over to the three sitting on the swing. “Uh, hi, Claire.”

“Oh, hi! What’s up?” Claire pushed herself up from the girls, giving them the Gameboy.

“Oh, just wanted to see what game you guys were playing.”

“It’s Pokémon. All they do is catch squritles.”

Rebecca laughed. “Really?”

“Yep, they’re all named after _My Little Pony_ ponies.”

Rebecca laughed more. “That’s really cute!”

“Do you play?”

“Ah, I haven’t played in some time, because of school and all.”

That was a lie. She had stayed up late the night before playing on her 4th play through. Girl was addicted.

“well, before I leave, we should defiantly link up some time. I’d love to see what my team of squritles can do against your team. You know, I bet you have nothing but grass types, am I right?”

“Mostly grass but I do have a jolteon.”

“Oh nice! I like flareon more though.”

“Are you talking about that game again?” A voice said behind the women.

It was Chris. He was holding 2 plates, one stacked high with possible everyone food group from the serving table and the other with macaroni salad and vegetables.

“Nothing important to you but,” Claire took a carrot, to which Chris moved the plate away. “Is that for Ms. Valentine, hm?”

“Sush. I’m just bring her some food. She’s on her feet all day so I thought I’d give her a hand and help her get something to eat, no big deal.”

“That’s so sweet of you. But I can’t help feeling as if there’s some sort of hidden motive, wouldn’t you agree, Rebecca?” Claire said, nudging her.

Rebecca nodded, giggling. “I think so too.”

Chris became a little flustered. “Yes, that is the only reason!”

Chris quickly made his way over to Jill who was now seated at the patio table. She had a soft smile on her face.

Claire huffed. “He needs to hurry up and ask her out on a date or something. The real reason I didn’t want to sleep at his place is cause all he does is talk about Jill.”

“He comes by the shop while he’s on patrol, usually 3-4 times a day. I know he worries about us, but I think he cares about Jill a little more.”

Claire nodded in agreement. “He’s just a big teddy bear. But I guess it’s nice, to have someone worry about you a lot. He’s kind of gotten like this since our parents died a few years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Were you guys close?”

“Mhm, as close as can be! We always went on vacations together, went home for the holidays, the usual sappy family stuff. When they died, Chris went a little overboard the first few months and didn’t want me to go to collage and we fought, a lot, a lot a lot. He thought something horrible was going to happen, especially since I wanted to ride my bike up to the school. I don’t blame him, of course but I needed to heal on my own and he wasn’t understanding that. He thought the best way to heal was for us to be together all the time and coddle each the whole time.” Claire took a deep breath and smiled. “We didn’t do any of that, but we did talk. We talked about our mom and dad, me going away, him coming here to work and in the end, he realized it was best for both of us to continue with our lives, just as they would have wanted. Not for nothing, I think our relationship is a lot strong now and that we both have more trust and understanding in one another.” Claire looked down at Rebecca, who was now crying, tears flooding from her eyes and down her cheeks.

“That’s so sad!” Rebecca sobbed, wiping her eyes furiously.

“I’m so sorry!” Claire quickly left and got her a few napkins. “I didn’t mean to make you cry! Sorry!”

Rebecca just shook her head and wiped at her eyes. “Don’t be sorry, thank you for sharing that with me. I’m glad you and Chris are doing OK now.”

It was Claire’s turn to blush a little now. “Oh uh, thank you. Let’s talk about something else now, I know brought it up, but I don’t wanna make you cry anymore. What’s medical botany like?”

“It’s kind of boring in a way. We do a lot of tests and paper work to make sure we know what plants do what and what not to mix them with, how to mix them, that sort of thing.”

“You can’t mix certain plants?”

Rebecca shook her head. “They can cause issues like vomiting and constipation. The symptoms vary.”

Rebecca sounded different now. Much more confident than at the start of the evening. She couldn’t tell if it was because she had been talking to Claire for so long or if it was because she was talking about something she was practically and expert on.

“So that much goes into know about plants?” Claire looked thoughtful. “I can see that…but how do you mix them?”

“There are many different ways like grinding them by hand or in a blinder but like I said, it’s all kind of boring, you wouldn’t want to bore you.”

“Well, I got time and I’m willing to listen, could you care to sit and talk about it? It sounds interesting. I’d love to be able to tell the guys back at campus that I have a friend who knows so much about plants.”

‘ ** _A Friend…_** ’ Rebecca could feel her cheeks heat up. She didn’t think she’d hear Claire call her a friend.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I can go on the basics and at the risk of sounding like a broken record player, it’s going to be pretty boring.”

“I think otherwise.” Claire smiled, and the two women began walking around the backyard.

* * *

 

It was dark now, the sun’s rays just barely peaking over the trees, giving the sky a cotton candy look.

Claire and Rebecca sat at the patio table, stilling talking about Rebecca’s studies.

“The plants in the mountains that are good for health are the Red, Blue, and Green herbs, which is why the city has so many pharmaceutical company’s here. The Green one can be eaten alone in like tea or a food, or just raw, and it can cure headaches, help with indigestion, you know little stuff like that. The Red one really just enhances the Green and Blue ones, it tastes good with potatoes.” Rebecca gave a breathless laugh. She really been doing all the talking once Claire had said she didn’t mind Rebecca talking about the medical property of plants.

“And what does the Blue herb do?” Claire said, completely ingulfed in the conversation.

“That one cures most types of poisoning and venomous bites. Not like food poising but from snakes and bugs and spiders. I would still suggest going straight to a hospital if that happens but if you’re out hiking or camping and can’t get to one, that would be your next best thing.”

“I’m sorry for doing all the talking. I just get carried away sometimes.”

“I don’t mind at all! This is all so amazing!” Claire leaned back in her chair. “You’re like, super smart.”

Rebecca blushed, thankful that it was too dark for anyone to really see it. “Oh, I don’t think I’m **that** smart…”

“Sure you are! Knowing how to spot different plants and how they can help people, that’s smart!”

Jill came up to the girls. “Claire, are you ready to go home? It’s getting pretty late.”

“Oh, it is, I hardly noticed. Do you know how smart she is?” Claire said, pointing at Rebecca. “Like, super smart!”

Jill laughed. “I know, she’s a Brainiac, honestly. But answer my question, I don’t want to leave without you.”

“I thought I’d hang out with Becca some more, if she wants to.” Claire turned her attention to Rebecca. “We can watch some of _The X-Files_ at your place so I can try and play catch up.”

Rebecca was shocked. She didn’t think Claire would still want to hang out with her, especially since she’s dominated the conversation for god knows how long.

“Sure, I don’t mind,” Rebecca turned to Jill. “I can drop her off tomorrow before I go to work.”

“Sounds good. You two have fun.” Jill said her good-byes and then left the girls.

Claire gave Rebecca a big smile. “Before we go to your place, we need snacks. Can’t have a marathon without snacks, right?”

Rebecca couldn’t help but smile back. “Right. We should hurry up and go then.”

“This is going to be so fun! I can’t wait to pick your brain on the show! All my friends back at campus don’t like it cause it’s too scary. I tell them, you have to get past that because the show is really on a whole new level.”

The two women left the yard and to Rebecca’s car, disgusting the series.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think after a point, only people close to Rebecca can call her Becca. It's cute and unnecessary but I love it!  
> Did you guys know that Claire is 3 whole ass inches taller than Becca? Those height differences are what I live for in my lesbians! (*＾□＾)
> 
> Although I didn't have to, I had looked up 90's summer clothes and here's an idea of what Jill, Claire, and Rebecca wore:  
> Claire: jeans, a white T-Shirt underneath a red and black plaid long sleeve shirt and her biker boots. it's never a bad time to wear biker boots  
> Jill: jean overalls with a blue and white stripped shirt under and white sneakers. JIll is going for a more casual cute look. Gotta impress ya mans  
> Rebecca: a long light green spaghetti strap sundress over a short sleeved white shirt and brown sandals. rebecca likes more a flow-ly relaxed looked. you also never now when you gotta look for plants!


	3. Chapter 3

It had been two days since Rebecca and Claire had their _X-Files_ marathon. They didn’t make it too far, but Rebecca had loved every moment of it. It was nice sharing something dear to her with someone new. But even though they had spent a whole evening together, she wondered if she was selfish for wanting to spend more time with her; after all, that had only just met.

Throughout Rebecca’s work days, she was constantly checking the door and parking lot, hoping Claire would stop by for a visit.

It was a slow afternoon in the store, as typical of Sundays. The sun shone in brightly through the windows, not a cloud in sight, the bright blue sky giving promise to a clear night.

Rebecca sat behind the counter, reading one of her textbooks, occasionally looking at the door for incoming customers, but mostly hoping to see Claire.

She groaned softly when her umpteenth time looking brought no results.

“Looking for someone?” Jill asked, coming out of the freezer, wearing a black parka and gloves.

“Oh no! Just making sure I don’t miss any customers or anything like that, ahah.” Rebecca closed her book and set it on the counter. “Anywaaay, it’s a so slow today, why can’t we go home now?”

“We’ll be home soon enough…why do you want to go home so bad?” Jill dropped her jacket and gloves in the back office. “In such a hurry to study?”

“Something like that…you know, midterms are coming up and all, gotta be on my toes.”

“Why don’t you come with us to the karaoke bar tonight instead? I think it’d be a lot more fun.” Jill was leaning against the door frame, watching Rebecca fidget with a pen.

“Who’s all going?”

“Me, Chris, Barry, Kathy, and a few girls from here.”

Rebecca felt a bit of disappointment to hear that Claire wouldn’t be there. “That sounds nice, but I think I’ll pass.”

“Well, if you do change your mind, let me know.”

“Sure thing…”

As Rebecca was going to turn back to her book, they heard a motorcycle roaring up from the distance. Rebecca could feel her heart skip a beat as the motorcycle neared their store.

And thinking of the devil, it was Claire.

Claire pulled one long leg from the side of her bike to the other and stood, taking her hair off and letting her long red hair drop free. She spotted the girls and made her way over, a big smile on her face.

To Rebecca, she looked like a literal angel.

“Hey guys! What’s up?”

Rebecca let out a weak hello, waving quickly at Claire.

“We’re doing good. Are you all set for tonight?” Jill asked.

“Sure am!” Claire went off down to the snack section. “I called about the room this morning and their menu, all reserved for us!”

“What’s going on tonight?” Rebecca asked.

“We’re going to a karaoke bar! It was Chris’s idea last night, did Jill not tell you?”

“I did but Rebecca said she has to study tonight, right?”

Rebecca began blushing. “Oh well, I’ve been thinking since you told me, and I think you’re right and I could skip a night of studying, I’ve been studying hard and you know it’s important to rest your brain, haha.”

“That’s great! I was worried you weren’t going to make it, I know how much work you have sometimes so I’m so glad you’ll be able to have some free time!” Claire dropped a few bags of chips on the counter. “I felt bad for taking up so much of your time Thursday that I thought you could use some time to yourself, so I feel a bit better now knowing that I wasn’t inconveniencing you. Don’t want you to fall behind!”

Rebecca’s face got redder. She never thought of that. She didn’t know Claire was that considerate.

“Well, thank you, for thinking of me like that.”

After Rebecca finished ringing Claire up, she said her good-byes and left the store.

When Claire left, Rebecca turned to Jill who was now stocking a snack rack.

“Why didn’t you tell me Claire would be there?”

“Didn’t think it had matter since you had already made up your mind about going.” Jill said teasingly.

Rebecca became flustered. “Of course it matters! I like-” Rebecca cut herself off.

“Like what?” Jill smirked. “Claire?”

“N-No! What? No! No! I’m going to bag ice!”

Rebecca ran out of the store, Jill laughing and telling her they already have enough ice.

* * *

 

Rebecca was in the dimly lit karaoke room with the rest of her friends, watching Barry and Jill sing “No Scrubs” completely off key but having the time of their lives. Barry wasn’t bad at the solo rap part.

When the song finished, everyone cheered them on.

“Alright,” Kathy said. “Who’s up next?”

One of Rebecca’s co-workers spoke up. “Rebecca! She hasn’t gone yet!”

All eyes turned to Rebecca, who was thankful the room was too dark to notice her embarrassment. It had been a long time since she sung in front of a crowd, even if it was just friends.

“Uh, no thanks, I’d rather just watch!”  She really didn’t want to make a fool of herself in front of Claire.

“I’ll do it with her!” Claire hopped up from her seat. “Pick a good song!”

Claire took Rebecca’s hand and pulled her up to the little stage and handed her a mic.

After a few seconds, the first beats of _Take On Me_ started playing.

Claire started off, with Rebecca doing the next line and so forth. By the end of the song, Claire was spinning and dipping Rebecca all over the stage.

When the song ended, both the women were huffing and puffing, laughing with the rest of their friends.

“Encore! Encore!”

“Shall we give them what they want?” Claire said, already picking out a new song.

Rebecca hadn’t felt this free in a long time. To just let loose and not think about who was watching or what anyone thought. She felt a whole new level of happiness from being with Claire. That she didn’t have to be one way all the time, that she could act many different ways and still be…still be what?

* * *

 

The karaoke singers stood outside in the cool night. The sky was clear, the stars able to shine to their max, the moon full and washing over the group in pale light.

Jill went up to Claire and Rebecca. “I’m not heading home immediately so can you take Rebecca home, Claire?”

“Going out with Chris?” Claire teased.

Jill smiled. “Yeah…we have some talking to do. So, can you take her?”

“Not a problem. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Thanks.” Jill left off to her car.

“Well, let’s go for a ride.” Claire lead Rebecca to her bike and got a spare helmet from her side pack. “This should fit just fine.”

Claire helped Rebecca adjust the helmet and then sat on the bike. “Make sure you hold on tight, okay?”

Rebecca froze. She was nervous about being this close to Claire. This was much more intimate than she had thought this night would get.

Claire turned the key and the car shot to live, causing Rebecca to jump.

“Don’t worry, it’s safe, I promise.” She winked and then kicked the kickstand up.

Rebecca slowly got on, wrapping her arms tight around Claire’s waist.

“Hold on tight.”

Claire slowly backed out of the parking space and then took off.

It took Rebecca some time to get used to riding on the bike. She had kept her head down and eyes closed. She was worried that if she opened her eyes she would fall off but after some time she was able to fully trust Claire and her skills riding a motorcycle.

She kept her grip on the driver and sat up to look around at their surroundings.

The city looked different this way, with no metal or glass in between. It seemed newer, as if they were somewhere else entirely.

“It’s so pretty…”

“See? It’s not so bad once you get used to it!” Claire laughed.

“No, it isn’t…” Rebecca laid her head gently back on Claire’s back, closing her eyes, enjoying the rest of the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope there weren't too many grammar mistakes :/


	4. Chapter 4

Rebecca sat in the convenience store’s back office, staring glumly at today’s date. Today was Claire’s last day in town and Rebecca was stuck at work. She wanted nothing more than to leave work and hang out with Claire, like they had after karaoke. Rebecca would always remember that night as one of the best nights of her life.

Claire had taken them to a lake her and Chris went to as kids. She did most of the talking and Rebecca just listened.

Claire told Rebecca how she and Chris would spend the whole day at the lake fishing, skipping rocks, hunting for bugs and trying to convince their parents to let them keep every lizard they found.

Rebecca loved the stories. She felt lucky that Claire was willing to talk about her childhood. Happy that she felt comfortable enough to let her in on the little details of her life.

The two sat on the old dock, their feet just above the water.

“Chris was really different as a kid,” Rebecca said when Claire finished her story. “He’s so much more…grown up now.”

Claire laughed. “But don’t let that fool you, he can still be his old self, same wild kid from years ago. What about you, do you have any siblings?”

“I wish. I’m an only child, but, I do have a lot of cousins. When I was younger, my parents and I would go on these long road trips to visit them over the summer.” Rebecca sighed. “They aren’t into science like me, except for the stuff that explodes, but I guess who isn’t.”

“That sounds like it sucks. Was it boring like that?”

Rebecca smiled. “Only a little. Now when I visit, my cousins kids love to ask me to blow something up or take them on nature walks. Helps me avoid the questions about when I’ll get married or have a family.”

“Those are the worst questions. I usually tell everyone I’ll get married when I find someone who knows more about cars and bikes than me…” Claire paused and looked up at the sky. “Well, not just that, maybe I can live without that…maybe I want someone who just listens to me, ya know? Someone who takes the time to hear me out after a long day and I’d do the same for them, of course. They’d also have to like going on adventures. Some weekends I like to drive just because, and see how far I can get and to see what new things are out there. I think it would be fun to do that with someone else, what do you think?” Claire looked back at Rebecca.

“I think that would be very nice. I’d love to do that some day.”

Rebecca sighed and looked away from the calendar. After that they sat on the dock in silence and then Claire took her back home. That was all last night but it felt so long ago now. She wondered if that night was as special to Claire as it was to her. She had hoped so.

Rebecca got up from the office chair and went to the kitchen sink. It was back to her mundane life again. She turned on the faucet, hot water instantly pouring out and into the yellow mop bucket.

“What are you doing?”

Rebecca turned and saw Jill standing in the open walkway, arms crossed.

“I’m about to start mopping the floor…is something wrong?”

“Yeah, you. What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing? Why do you think something’s bothering me?”

“Because you’ve been humming Waterfalls.”

Rebecca looked confused. “What?”

“When something is bothering you, you hum Waterfalls. You didn’t know that?”

Rebecca’s face instantly turned red. “No way! What?!”

Jill laughed. “How did you not know that?”

Rebecca groaned. “That’s so embarrassing…”

“So, tell me, what’s eating at you because you’ve been humming it for at least 30 minutes.”

Rebecca stayed quiet. She thought of Jill as a big sister but she wasn’t sure how to bring something this personal up to her, especially since she didn’t really know how to bring it up with herself.

“Well,” Jill started, walking closer to Rebecca. “If it’s what I think it is, then I think you should go for it.” She placed a hand on Rebecca’s shoulder. “Take a chance and see how things will turn out. If you don’t take the risk now, you may end up missing out.”

“But what if I’m wrong? What if this doesn’t turn out right?”

“And so what if it does go wrong? You took the chance to find out and no one can fault you for that. It’s scary, I know, but don’t you think you’d feel better if you listen to yourself and just go for it?”

“…have you ever just gone for it?”

Jill nodded. “Multiple times and I wont lie; it hurts. It hurts a whole lot. But afterwards, I do feel better. I stuck to my guns and I saw it to the end and it makes it easier when it happens again.”

Rebecca wiped her eyes. “I feel silly, for acting like this.”

“We all do, I think, but I also believe that it’s okay to feel like that.”

Rebecca pulled up to Jill’s house after work. After the pep talk she had with Jill, she felt that she was ready to tell Claire how she really felt.

Or so she thought.

When Jill’s house came into view, she was beginning to second guess herself. Maybe she couldn’t do this. Maybe she wasn’t actually ready to confess her feelings to Claire. Could she actually be in love after only a few days, is that even possible?

She didn’t know. What she did know was that Claire made her happy whenever she thought about her or when they were together and that has got to count for something, right?

Rebecca looked over at Jill’s house. A single light was on, in what she assumed was from the living room.

Could she really be bold and do this?

Rebecca took a deep breath and got out of her car. She had to do this; no, she needed to do this. Jill was right, sometimes you just have to take a chance.

Rebecca knocked on the door, timidly at first and then with a little more confidence.

“I was starting to get worried you got lost!” Claire said, opening the door. She was surprised to see it was Rebecca. “Oh! You’re not pizza.”

“S-Sorry…is this a bad time? I can come back later!” Rebecca started backing up.

“You can stay. I mean, I was just waiting for the delivery guy, we can talk. Wanna come in?”

Rebecca shook her head. “No, what I have to say shouldn’t take long.”

Rebecca took in a breath and talked. She talked about how she loved spending time with Claire, how she loved listening to her talk and could do so for hours on end. How she liked when they first spent time together watching The X-Files and how she wanted to do it again. She told her that the night they spent at the bar and dock was one of the most intimate and wonderful nights of her life. That she couldn’t stop thinking about her and that she felt she was being over-dramatic with all of this but this is how she felt and hoped she wasn’t being weird and was pushing any boundaries. And most importantly, that she thinks she might love her.

The two stared at each other, quiet for a moment, before Claire spoke.

Claire spoke of the same feelings. The feelings of wanting to tell someone that you had strong feelings for them but were unsure if it was appropriate. The feeling of your heart racing and your knees going weak when your favorite person is mentioned. Wanting to tell them how you feel every time you meet but being afraid of being a rejected. The joy that’s felt when your feelings are returned on the same level without hesitation. Claire thinks she loves Rebecca too.

The two women hug, holding each other for a while.

The two broke away after a few moments, still standing close, holding each others hand.

"I feel so silly for taking so long to say something." Rebecca said, dabbing at her eyes.

“Me too," Claire confessed. "But I feel better.”

Rebecca nodded. “When are you coming back?”

“As soon as classes end. I’ll call you all the time.”

“I can’t wait.”

The two women kissed, over joyed with their new found relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want everyone to know that they should just try and speak to the person they have feelings for. It makes for less regrets to just go and tell them how you feel than to hold it inside.


End file.
